The combined strengths of Irish Universities, Scottish Universities, Birmingham University and a BLE Selection, together with international athletes for an invitational 3000m sponsored by Roadstone, converged on Belfield for the inaugural athletics meeting on the first tartan track in Ireland. The all-weather track cost £160,000. It was formally opened by the Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave. He fired a real .38 revolver to start the first event of the evening meeting, the 3000m steeplechase. It was his last shot in the General Election of 1977 which took place the following day, which resulted in a crushing defeat of the FG/Labour coalition. The almost 4,000 spectators were treated to three Irish native records in the 3000m, pole vault and discus and a Northern Ireland native record in the 400m hurdles during this competitive and entertaining fixture. As the evening progressed a cooling wind increased in velocity. Eamonn Coghlan chopped almost six seconds of Jerry Kiernan's month-old 3000m record. The 43-year-old Corkman Len Braham added 2.5 ft to his ten-day-old national figure. Liam Hennessy, an 18-year-old from Tipperary, leapt to the top of Irish Pole-vaulting.

Irish Universities v. N.A.C.A.I. President's Selection v. The Army. This was the inaugural athletics meeting to mark the opening of the Lourdes Stadium, Drogheda. This was also the first triangular match, the three previous contests having taken place between the N.A.C.A. President's Select and Combined Universities [UCD, UCG and UCC]. The Universities competed in College singlets: U.C.D. - pale blue, U.C.C. - red; U.C.G. - Maroon; The Army competed in green singlets; the N.A.C.A.I. President's Selection competed in white singlets. The 4x110 yards relay and the 3 miles events were not held on this occasion because the meeting was abandoned about 30 min from its finish due to the death of a spectator. Jack Beare, a former competitive cyclist from Coolock, Dublin, collapsed and died in the stand. He had earlier watched his son, Jack Jnr., finish 2nd in a thrilling 2-mile cycle race on the grass in-field. However, based on maximum points available from both of these events to the NACA team, the President's select could not have won the match. This was the Universities first win in this match series.

Irish Universities v. N.A.C.A.I. President's Selection. The inaugural N.A.C.A. President's Selection versus Irish Universities match. N.A.C.A. President was Chief Superintendent Tom McDonagh. Each team could enter three competitors in each of the thirteen individual events, the first four scoring 5, 3, 2 and 1 points, respectively. The winner of the 4x110 yards relay was awarded 7 points.

Irish Universities v. 'Rest of Ireland' N.A.C.A.I. Select. This evening match had been promoted by D.U.H.A.C. between the Atalanta Club, representing Scottish Universities, and Irish Universities [with the exception of QUB, because of the N.A.C.A.I.-mandated ban due to its affiliation to the Northern Ireland branch of the A.A.A.]. On Saturday 8th July a telegram was received by the Hon. Secretary of D.U.H.A.C., J.C. Cole, from the Atalanta Club stating that their visit to Dublin had been cancelled. No specific reason was given. However, it was surmised that the Scottish team had been ordered to cancel their visit on instructions issued by or on behalf of the International Board, composed of Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland, as a consequence of the dispute between the N.A.C.A.I. and the Northern Ireland Association, and possibly also in retaliation for the ban on intervarsity competition imposed on Queen's University of Belfast by the N.A.C.A.I. The Central Council of the N.A.C.A.I. met and selected a strong team, "The Rest of Ireland", to take the place of the Atalanta Club, confining the selection, for convenience sake at such short notice, to locally based athletes. Two members of each team were to compete in each event. The final event, the medley relay, decided the outcome of the meeting.